Winners of Healthline and NAMI Stronger Scholarship Chosen to Spotlight Mental Health
Healthline Partners with the National Alliance on Mental Illness to Honor Four Students Working to Change the Face and Future of Mental Health
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Sept. 17, 2019 – Healthline Media, publisher of two of the world’s three largest consumer health and wellness information sites, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), have announced the winners of the Healthline Stronger Scholarship, which is awarded to four university students around the U.S. for their commitment to academic and professional pursuits in mental health. The recipients are: Austin Angiolillo of La Salle University, Lauren Johnson of Drexel University, Emma Seevak of Harvard University, and Taylor Bhaiji of Cornell University. More than 3,500 students applied for the third annual scholarship.
The Healthline Stronger Scholarship is focused on helping students who are dedicated to the advancement of mental health and combating the stigma around it. To be considered, applicants have demonstrated involvement in the advancement of the mental health profession, either through research, patient advocacy, raising awareness, or community building. Healthline and NAMI announced the scholarship to their networks of colleges, mental health advocates, and individuals interested in mental health. Two undergraduate and two graduate students were selected, with each student being awarded a $5,000 scholarship.
With recent reports estimating that over 44 million American adults have a mental health condition, Healthline chose to dedicate its annual Stronger Scholarship to students focused on changing the face — and future — of mental health. Healthline’s mission is to help build a stronger, healthier world by providing the highest quality, medically precise, socially inspired, and data driven information on its sites Healthline.com, MedicalNewsToday.com, and Greatist.com, and generating conversations on the most important health and wellness topics affecting people today. Many people don’t seek treatment or remain unaware that their symptoms could be connected to a mental health condition.
“Mental Health is one of the most prevalent and challenging issues facing people today, which is why at Healthline we continue to expand and strengthen the information and communities we offer with a commitment to trustworthy, empathetic, and compassionate experiences,” says Healthline Media President and CEO David Kopp. “Our team felt strongly that this year’s Stronger Scholarship should focus on raising awareness of the vital need to support those struggling and honor those who will be on the forefront of creating solutions in the future, like these talented and passionate college students who have already made commitments to helping those with mental health issues a priority in their studies and lives.”
Partnering with Healthline to award this year’s Stronger Scholarship is NAMI, a patient advocacy organization dedicated to individuals with mental health conditions. NAMI is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization and offers education programs along with a toll-free help line that provides support and information for people, families, and caregivers. The Healthline & NAMI Stronger Scholarship aligns with NAMI’s goals to ensure that people get care early and receive the best possible care by encouraging a young generation of leaders, facilitators, and advocates through its programs and initiatives.
As a scholarship partner, NAMI has promoted the scholarship through its network and helped to select the winners.
“NAMI is excited to partner with Healthline to award their Stronger Scholarship to college students dedicated to mental health. There were so many strong submissions, and we applaud the students’ efforts to raise awareness and endeavor to improve the lives of people with mental health and substance use conditions,” said Angela Kimball, acting CEO, NAMI.
The winners of this year’s Stronger Scholarship are:
TAYLOR BHAIJI (Westlake, OH) – Bhaiji is a senior at Cornell University. She was one of 90 participants for a National Institute of Health-funded research program for underrepresented persons. She also volunteered with American Indian Science and Engineering Society AISES, a non-profit organization that advocates for Native Americans who want to pursue careers in STEM fields. Bhaiji plans to work within the Native American population to create solutions to the multiple roots of alcohol use disorder: genetic, socioeconomic, psychological, and medical. She ultimately seeks to develop a sobriety program that fully embraces Native American culture, incorporating learnings from AA, native spirituality, and modern science.
LAUREN JOHNSON (Philadelphia, PA) – Johnson is a doctoral candidate at Drexel University. She is currently preparing a manuscript on how mental health stigma varies based on gender and veteran status, and upon completion of her doctoral studies she expects to begin active duty service as a U.S. Air Force psychologist. Johnson has participated in the Veterans Yoga Project, was a speaker on a “Women of Color in Psychology” panel, served as university ambassador for the Society for Military Psychology, and presented research focused on suicide in the military at four national conferences.
EMMA SEEVAK (Piedmont, CA) – Seevak is a junior at Harvard. She has received grants to conduct mental health services research in four countries. She is currently the principal investigator on two qualitative projects, one about the psychosocial needs of people living with chronic psychosis in rural Chiapas, Mexico, and the other about the experiences of peer mental health workers in New York City. Seevak is committed to building systems of mental healthcare that empower lay people (who do not have formal degrees in mental health) to deliver psychoeducation and evidence-based therapies in their communities.
AUSTIN ANGIOLILLO (Philadelphia, PA) – Angiolillo is a second year graduate student at La Salle University. He has served as the president of the Sexuality and Gender Alliance, volunteered as a peer educator at the Center for Trans and Queer Advocacy, and has twice received the Making a Difference Award for LGBTQ Advocacy. When he completes his degree, Angiolillo plans to serve as a psychologist who will be affordable for those without insurance, and conduct intersectional research that includes factors such as SES, race, ethnicity, age, and religion.
For more information about the scholarship please visit https://www.healthline.com/scholarship-program.
About Healthline Media
San Francisco-based Healthline Media’s mission is to empower people to be their strongest and healthiest selves by being a trusted ally in their pursuit of health and well-being. The company is one of the world’s fastest growing health information brands with online properties Healthline.com, MedicalNewsToday.com, and Greatist.com. Healthline’s sites provide socially inspired and data driven articles with the highest standards of medical integrity that support the modern health consumer with a whole-person approach to health and wellness. Healthline Media is the top ranked health publisher and number 36 overall on the Comscore top 50 media properties worldwide. Across all of its properties, Healthline Media publishes each month up to 1,000 scientifically accurate yet reader friendly articles authored by more than 120 writers and reviewed by more than 100 doctors, clinicians, nutritionists, and other experts. The company’s repository contains more than 70,000 articles, each updated with current protocol. Healthline Media is profitable with year-over-year revenue growth of more than 45 percent. More than 200 million people worldwide and 85 million people in the U.S. visit Healthline’s sites each month, according to Google Analytics and Comscore, respectively.
About NAMI
The National Alliance on Mental Illness is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness.
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